


the memories bring back you

by AtLoLevad



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff, a little sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:14:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29678265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtLoLevad/pseuds/AtLoLevad
Summary: Rey has a dream that's really a memory and Poe is there when she wakes
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 10
Kudos: 29





	the memories bring back you

Faint music fills the tiny cabin. There's laughter, joyous and unforced, but with an undercurrent that Rey can't quite identify.

She giggles without inhibitions, watching her parents do a silly waltz in the middle of the room. A bright smile overtakes her face and she swings her legs back and forth, swaying a little to the music.

Dad dips Mom and she laughs, swatting his chest with a smile. Dad kisses her quickly and holds out his hand to Rey. "Care to dance, Princess Rey?" he asks and Rey hops off the chair, running as fast as her little legs will carry her.

"Yes!" she shrieks, her stomach swooping as Dad lifts her into his arms and starts to dramatically dance around. Rey giggles and wraps her arms around her father's neck, looking at her mother over his shoulder. She's stepped off to the side of the room a little, a small smile on her face as she watches Rey dance with Dad. The smile is wrong though, Rey thinks, it doesn't light up her whole face like before.

Dad tickles her side and Rey squirms, laughing, distracted from the sad smile on her mother's face.

But then she remembers and reaches her hand out to her mother, "Mom! Come dance with us?" she asks, smiling hopefully.

"Of course, my little Rey," Mom replies warmly and steps into Dad's embrace. Rey's snuggled between them, almost crushed by the force of their hug, but she doesn't mind.

She feels safe and loved.

* * *

Rey wakes with tears on her face and Poe's strong arms around her waist. His voice, sleep roughened and concerned, is close to her ear when he asks, "Whatsamatter?"

Shaking a little, with tears still dripping down her temple, Rey snuggles back into Poe's embrace. He accepts her easily, curling around her protectively, his knees bumping against the backs of her thighs. Rey shakes her head and presses her face into her pillow. Her voice is muffled when she replies. "I - a memory," her voice cracks, "of my parents."

Now Poe's more awake - Rey can feel the difference in the way his arms tense up around her. His signature changes too, from the hazy golden of sleep to a sharper, more focused dark gold. She knows he's going to pick his words carefully and waits.

"How do you feel about it?" he asks quietly, pressing his cheek against her bare shoulder. He doesn't ask "are you okay?" because they both know she's not. Ever since the final fight with Palpatine, Rey's memories of her parents and the few years she had with them had been coming back slowly. They're sporadic and some are better than others, but they always leave Rey feeling shaken and lost and lonely.

"It...it was..." Rey's voice wavers and she shakes her head a bit, disbelief in her tone, "happy."

"Happy?" Poe repeats, confused. He's still a little fuzzy from the abrupt wake-up and Rey's tears always make him edgy - he wants to protect her from sadness, even though it's a human experience. She's suffered enough, her life after the war should be as happy and free from strife as possible. But apparently, her past was happy too.

Rey nods mutely. She wiggles in his arms and Poe loosens his grip so she can roll onto her other side and face him. Their noses are barely an inch apart and Poe has to resist the urge to kiss the bridge of her nose. Rey angles her head and brushes her nose gently against his cheek. She sighs and Poe shivers at the gentle wash of warm breath.

"I...yes," she sighs, blinking against a steady stream of tears. Poe lifts one of his hands from her waist and brushes away the tears with the pad of his thumb and Rey leans into his touch. "It was my...my parents, Poe," her voice cracks and she lets out a gasping sob. Her body shakes with the force of her crying and Poe feels helpless. All he can do is hold her tight until she's calmed down a bit. He strokes her hair and whispers nonsense into her ear, occasionally pressing soft kisses to her cheek and temple.

Eventually, Rey's shoulders stop shaking and her breathing evens out a little and she doesn't feel like she's wound right enough to snap. Poe remains curled around her, protective. "Better, _mi sol_?" he whispers and a weight lifts from his heart when she nods.

"I just...I wasn't expecting..." her voice is shaky, hoarse. "Poe, they...we...were so happy." The pain in her voice is practically tangible. Rey sucks in a deep breath, "I felt so safe, so loved. They _loved_ me."

"Of course they did, Rey," Poe murmurs softly. "They wouldn't have tried so hard to protect you if they didn't."

A mournful little noise escapes Rey's mouth and she lifts her hand to press two fingers firmly against her lips, muffling any other sound. She shakes her head and it's clear to Poe that this dream - despite or perhaps because of, its happiness, rattles Rey more than the nightmares do. He struggles to shift into a sitting position, leaving Rey awkwardly draped over his lap and the mattress before he gently grabs her arms and pulls her into his embrace. She drapes her legs over his lap and curls up against him, cheek pressed over his heart. The rhythmic thumping is reassuring.

"Talk to me, sweetheart," Poe says gently, rubbing circles against her back. With a sinking feeling in his gut, he notes that the bones of her spine are too sharp, too prominent under his palm. He swallows heavily. "You'll feel better if you talk to me," he says, desperate for her to let him in.

Rey nods against his chest, her hair tickling under his chin. "It just, it was _easier_ when I couldn't remember being happy with them _,_ " she admits slowly. "When it was just blank before being left on Jakku, I could pretend that I wasn't missing anything. Even after, after I knew they left me for my safety, it was easier because I could ... compartmentalise it? Now though, now that I know I was happy once," her voice cracks, "I know what I'm missing. What I missed out on. Having parents, loving parents."

"Oh, Rey," Poe's heart shatters in his chest at the broken flatness of Rey's voice. He's not even sure what to say. And he tells her so. But, "I know what it's like, to think about the what ifs. I think about my mom all the time. What I missed out on by losing her so young."

Hot tears drip against his chest and Rey curls up smaller against him. He holds her close.

"But they loved us. My mom and your parents. I just have to hold onto that knowledge and now that you know," he sighs, "maybe it'll help. You have me and my dad and Finn and Rose. And we all love you more than anything. You, Rey Skywalker, are not lacking in people who love you. Not anymore."

Rey hiccups in his arms and Poe smiles softly. He presses a lingering kiss to the crown of her head. "I love you, sunshine. So kriffing much," his voice is muffled against her hair, but Rey hears him nonetheless.

"I love you, too," she whispers, her breath hot against his collarbone. "I just..." she trails off.

"I know," Poe replies. "It's hard. But knowing you're loved isn't the worst thing to learn."

"I'm sorry," she says and Poe shushes her.

Scoffing, he shakes his head, "Nothing to be sorry about, sunshine. You're processing a lot. You're always going to be safe and loved with me, and I'm never going to need an apology for being woken up by you."

"I wish I had more time with them," Rey says, her father's soft smile burned into the back of her eyelids, her mother's laugh ringing in her ears.

The feeling of warmth, of love, of _home_ from her memory is replicated by Poe's arms, sure and strong, around her.

**Author's Note:**

> this one's been written for a bit, but i'm lazy and haven't gotten around to editing anything lol. enjoy!


End file.
